Tutorial (14)–Hati....

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  [Warning! Warning!]

  [You’ve lost a lot of HP!]

  Blood dripped from my sides, soaking through what little was left of my torn shirt.

  Thin rivulets ran down my arms and legs, splattering onto the dirt beneath me.

  My breath hitched.

  Pain screamed through my nerves, each movement like dragging a blade across open wounds.

  [Please take some rest!]

  The message blinked, as if it could understand what I was feeling.

  “Ugh…”

  I hissed through clenched teeth, nearly collapsing—but I didn’t have time to focus on the pain.

  Not now.

  "Grrrr!!"

  "Awooooo!!"

  The air was filled with the chilling chorus of growls and howls.

  It came from every direction—left, right, behind, above.

  The forest roared like a living beast closing in.

  Branches snapped. Leaves rustled.

  Paws thundered over roots and rocks.

  Shadows flickered between the trees.

  They were coming.

  My eyes narrowed and focused forward.

  And there—he stood.

  The large Shadow Wolf.

  He wasn’t attacking anymore.

  Not moving.

  He stood perfectly still.

  No—maybe he couldn’t.

  Around him, sparks of golden light flickered and snapped against his fur like electric charges.

  [Trying to suppress the Eclipse!]

  A golden energy—like divine flame—wrapped around him in tiny bursts, trying to punish him, trying to suppress the darkness he had called.

  But—

  "Grrrrrr…"

  He stood firm, unyielding.

  The punishment didn’t matter to him.

  The golden sparks danced across his hide, but he didn’t flinch.

  His red eyes were locked on me, burning.

  The forest shuddered.

  The trees trembled.

  Time was running out.

  ‘Inventory!’

  A blue screen popped up, my vision adjusting immediately to its glow.

  I reached in with my mind and pulled out a small glowing potion.

  Its liquid shimmered like starlight, swirling with a soft pulse.

  I yanked the cork off with my teeth, poured half the potion over my wounds, and drank the rest.

  [Your health is being restored!]

  A gentle light began to spread across my skin.

  The blood began to slow, then stop.

  Muscle fibers reattached.

  Torn flesh began to stitch itself with glowing threads.

  My body no longer screamed with every twitch.

  Not fully healed, but usable.

  I exhaled, steadying my breath.

  [Solar Eclipse stopped!]

  The sky responded.

  The creeping darkness halted.

  Then it began to fade.

  Light returned.

  The golden arc of sunlight formed once again on the forest floor like a celestial blade, cutting the shadows in half.

  The system had managed to suppress his skill.

  And now—

  "Grrrr!!"

  The wolf growled.

  Not out of pain. But fury.

  We locked eyes again.

  I didn’t sense desperation. Just anticipation.

  A promise.

  “We will meet again.”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  I muttered under my breath, eyes sharp.

  Then I turned and ran.

  Leaves whipped past my face.

  The ground thudded beneath my feet. Every muscle burned, but I didn’t stop.

  Stumbling with each step, I pushed my battered body forward—moving from the deeper, darker parts of the forest toward the flickering rays of light up ahead.

  My legs were heavy, but I weaved between the trees, breathing hard.

  "Grrr…!"

  A low growl curled through the silence like a blade to the spine.

  Then—

  "Awoo!!!"

  The chilling howl echoed from behind me.

  I jerked my head left—then behind.

  Nearly ten Shadow Wolves.

  Their eyes glowed crimson in the dark, bodies cloaked in writhing black mist.

  They bounded over roots and rocks, gaining fast.

  In ordinary conditions, I would've fought them without hesitation.

  But now—

  [Your fatigue is above 60!]

  My muscles ached.

  Breath ragged.

  Vision slightly blurred.

  Still, I ran.

  Branches clawed at my face. Leaves slapped against my skin.

  A sudden snarl—and I knew one had jumped from behind.

  I spun, almost instinctively.

  Shing!

  I pulled the dagger from my inventory in one swift motion and turned mid-step.

  Swish!

  The blade plunged into the wolf’s head.

  Its howl was cut off with a sickening crunch as it collapsed, black mist fizzling from its wound.

  Without pause, I stabbed again—deep and precise.

  [You’ve slain a Shadow Wolf!]

  But two more were already closing in from the sides.

  Thud!

  I pivoted and kicked the wolf on the left.

  It yelped as it slammed into a thick tree, bark exploding from the impact.

  To the right—another lunged.

  Pssk!

  I stabbed straight into its ribs, dragging the blade sideways.

  The beast coughed out blood before crumpling to the forest floor.

  [You’ve slain a Shadow Wolf!]

  I didn’t stop.

  Another wolf jumped straight at me, jaws wide, fangs like knives.

  “Hah!”

  I reached into my inventory again, yanked out a light orb, and poured mana into it mid-motion.

  Zzzztt!!

  The orb lit up—then I threw it directly into its mouth.

  Jnnnng!!!

  A burst of radiant light exploded from within its body.

  The wolf howled in agony, thrashing on the ground as smoke poured from its mouth and eyes.

  [You’ve slain a Shadow Wolf!]

  The others flinched.

  Snarling, snapping their jaws—but hesitating.

  I took advantage.

  Two more light orbs out—hurled them ahead.

  Flash! Flash!

  The light burst out, a radiant wave spreading through the dark.

  Several wolves yelped and stepped back, their shadows sizzling under the glow.

  I turned and kept running.

  [Your fatigue has reached 70!]

  Another wolf burst from a bush, aiming for my throat.

  But I was faster—barely.

  I twisted to the side and ducked, and it slammed into a tree, letting out a choked bark.

  Another pounced.

  I dropped down low, almost sliding. It soared over me.

  Before it could recover, I sprang forward, grabbing it mid-air by the scruff and slammed its head into a tree trunk.

  Crack!!

  The skull split with a squelch. Its body went limp.

  My breath came in short, sharp gasps.

  My feet were numb.

  But I kept running.

  The forest thinned.

  The light returned.

  And finally—I broke through.

  Sunlight spilled through the trees like golden fire.

  I stumbled to a stop, barely holding myself up.

  The wolves skidded to the edge of the light, growling.

  "Grrrrrr!!!"

  Their red eyes burned with hate, teeth bared.

  But they didn’t dare cross into the light.

  They growled once more.

  Then slowly… they retreated, melting back into the shadows.

  I put my back on a tree and began to rest for a moment.

  It was then that Bernet emerged, his body phasing into existence as if peeling out from the air itself.

  "Hey, are you alright? You're really lucky, you know. You managed to escape him," Bernet said, floating down gently.

  "Who is he?" I asked, referring to that massive Shadow Wolf.

  "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that," Bernet said, averting his gaze with a grimace.

  ‘Well, I knew it.’

  According to the Tower’s rules, Lackeys had strict limits on the kind of information they could share and the degree to which they could help players.

  Especially when it involved lore or entities connected to higher levels.

  "Hey, you aren't planning on fighting him, right?" Bernet asked, narrowing his eyes, sensing the shift in my mood.

  "Open the shop!" I demanded, my voice sharp and resolute.

  "Hey, you'll die if you fight him!" Bernet said, raising his hands in alarm, his expression etched with concern.

  "Stop the nonsense and open the shop!" I shouted at him, anger flaring in my chest like a sudden wildfire.

  "O–okay! Here you go!" Bernet flinched slightly, startled by my tone, and a translucent blue screen flickered to life in front of me.

  I quickly searched and scrolled down through the categories and lists, my eyes darting across item names.

  "Tch! There's nothing useful!" I muttered, scowling in frustration as I closed the shop with a swipe.

  "Are you doing this because of those six creatures?" Bernet asked cautiously, his voice lower now, almost a whisper.

  "It’s nothing like that." I looked at him, my voice cold and eyes hardened.

  "Then?" he asked, puzzled, clearly not understanding my intent.

  "It’s a matter of pride," I said firmly, without hesitation.

  "Pride?" Bernet tilted his head.

  "You won't understand. Just give me 15 small potions and go away," I said.

  "Okay!" Bernet said with a short nod before disappearing again like a mist blown away by the wind.

  [Your items are transferred to your inventory!]

  Now, I was sitting alone.

  Yeah, it was a matter of pride.

  I hate running away and being rescued—especially by someone weaker than me.

  So at the very least, I should pay back.

  "Haaa…" I let out the air from my mouth slowly, a heavy breath that carried lingering frustration and shame.

  ‘For now, let’s summarize everything I know.’

  I reached to the side and picked up a nearby stick, then began to draw something on the ground, tracing shapes slowly into the dirt.

  What I have is a big black wolf.

  And that symbol.

  I began to draw the symbol that was on his forehead.

  A small arc, and a few small lines or dots around it.

  It was like… like… a moon.

  A black moon.

  ‘I have seen a similar symbol somewhere,’ I thought, narrowing my eyes as I stared at the dirt sketch.

  I pondered for a few minutes.

  Where? Where had I seen it before?

  A wolf with a symbol on his forehead…

  I searched through my memory.

  "Hmm… wait!" I paused when something suddenly clicked, a spark of recognition flashing in my mind.

  J?rmungandr’s brother also had something similar.

  J?rmungandr—the student of one of my 13 demons—and his brother was Fenrir.

  But Fenrir was grey in color, and his symbol was different.

  Then, it could be one of his two sons.

  I remember J?rmungandr proudly telling everyone about them—that he was now an uncle and how strong his nephews were.

  ‘What were his sons’ names?’ I racked my memory, digging through old conversations and moments.

  ‘Yeah… Sk?ll and Hati.’

  The black one is Hati, and the white one was Sk?ll.

  ‘So this was most probably Hati,’ I concluded.

  ‘But why is he here?’ The question lingered in my mind like a stubborn thorn.

  The time I had spent outside since all worldlines began merge into Tower was only 27 years.

  But I'm sure at least 300 years would've passed inside the tower.

  So, most things were bound to change.

  ‘Come to think of it…’

  Those golden chains.

  They are used to lock up someone in a certain area.

  And usually, higher gods used that.

  So it must’ve meant—Odin.

  ‘But why? And why didn’t Loki or Fenrir intervene?’

  The thought lingered like an itch I couldn’t scratch.

  I sat still, letting the question echo in my mind.

  ‘Or perhaps… they can’t?’

  That was the conclusion that slowly, heavily, settled in my chest.

  ‘So here’s the theory.’

  Something must’ve happened in Asgard.

  Something major.

  A fracture.

  A division between the factions of Loki and Odin.

  And something… something must’ve happened to Fenrir himself.

  Something bad.

  That’s why Hati might have acted out on his own—tried to take matters into his own hands—maybe even attempted to fight one of the gods of Asgard.

  And Odin… Odin responded the only way he knew: by imprisoning him.

  Trapping him here.

  If that was true, then so many things suddenly made sense.

  The first was the Eclipse.

  Hati was the one causing it.

  Of course, he couldn’t just do it at will.

  Not recklessly.

  The system and the Lackeys would stop him.

  They would interfere.

  Secondly, the shadow wolves.

  They weren’t random monsters.

  They were loyal, obedient creatures, working for him.

  Since Hati couldn’t leave the confines of his cursed prison, these shadow wolves were his hands, his legs—hunting in his place, gathering energy and food, expanding his influence while he remained shackled.

  And when he recovered enough—when the chains weakened just a little more—he would summon even more of them.

  Stronger, faster, deadlier.

  And those wolves would also serve another purpose—training for the players.

  A brutal tutorial zone, disguised as a normal beginner area.

  ‘A good tutorial zone?’ I smirked bitterly to myself.

  Then there was the light.

  The weakness to it.

  Shadow wolves weren’t naturally weak to light.

  They were simply its opposite.

  At first, I’d thought the Tower system or the Lackeys had implemented some artificial debuff to make things fair for players.

  But now?

  Now I was sure.

  It wasn’t the Tower.

  It was Odin.

  A curse.

  A divine punishment laced in light.

  It made sense.

  Hati, a being tied to eclipse and darkness, cursed by light.

  He could endure it with his monstrous strength, but even he wasn't unaffected.

  It was still his weakness.

  ‘Now… let’s start planning.’

  I began gathering my thoughts, organizing everything I knew.

  First, Hati couldn’t leave that specific area—likely a divine seal zone.

  Secondly, since this was the tutorial, his powers had been suppressed significantly.

  ‘Hmm… perhaps by 80%?’

  Maybe even more.

  And lastly—his greatest weakness was light.

  ‘A lot of light.’

  I tapped my finger against the hilt of my weapon thoughtfully.

  “What to do? Is there no other way than this?” I murmured aloud, staring down at the dirt.

  I did have a secret weapon.

  A terrifying one.

  But… using it in the tutorial zone would be incredibly risky.

  This early, when monitoring was strictest, someone might detect it.

  They might notice something I didn’t want revealed yet.

  If that happened… they’d suspect me.

  Suspect I am related to Abyss.

  And that… that would spoil everything.

  Growl!!

  My stomach gave a fierce growl, reminding me of something more primal.

  “Haa!! For now, let’s eat something!” I said to myself, patting my abdomen.

  ‘Inventory!’

  I flicked my fingers and summoned the interface, pulling out some packaged meat I had stored earlier.

  But then—my eyes caught something unexpected.

  Bear body parts.

  The remains of the Ironhide Bear I had defeated earlier… and completely forgotten to sell.

  ‘Oh! There was that?!’

  And in that moment, something sparked in my memory.

  A skill.

  A hidden, dangerous, valuable skill I could obtain here.

  In the Tower, skills were everything.

  They were more than techniques.

  They were power condensed into ability—superhuman traits one could activate with mana… or sometimes even without it.

  In the outside world, this kind of thing would’ve been impossible.

  But here in the Tower, where mana saturated the air like mist, it was possible.

  ‘Anyways, the chances are very low!’

  That was the major drawback.

  The skill I was thinking of was [Ironblood Regeneration].

  A rare passive skill, one that enhanced recovery speed drastically, hardened the body, and even allowed partial limb regeneration.

  It was obtainable only by consuming the heart of an Ironhide Bear.

  But the chances of gaining it?

  Less than 10%.

  And worse—consuming the heart came with a side effect.

  Enormous, unbearable pain.

  Heat would explode from within, spreading like wildfire through my veins, as if my organs were trying to melt and reform at the same time.

  ‘Haa!! But there’s no other choice.’

  This was the only real shot I had to power up fast enough.

  And aside from this, there was one more thing I needed to obtain:

  A Title.

  Wolfslayer.

  I was going to get it either way—especially after learning that shadow wolves were the dominant monsters of this floor.

  But now?

  Now I needed it even more.

  That title came with a small buff against beast-type enemies and intimidation resistance.

  And with the combination of that, Bear Regeneration, and some strategic planning…

  It might just be possible.

  To defeat him.

  But not yet.

  For now, let’s wait.

  I raised my head and looked at the sky through the leaves above.

  The horizon was painted in strokes of red and orange, like a bleeding canvas.

  The sun was slowly descending, dipping lower, vanishing inch by inch behind the tree line.

  Night was coming.

  I gathered some dry branches and bark, then lit up a campfire.

  The flames crackled softly, warming my hands and casting flickering shadows on the trees around me.

  I looked around out of habit—then chuckled softly.

  There was no one here to share the meat with.

  I held a piece up instinctively, as if expecting someone to take it.

  But the empty air reminded me of my solitude.

  ‘Whatever. Let’s just eat it.’

  I bit into the meat and leaned back against the tree again, letting the silence of the approaching night settle in.